Liquid Courage
by iantoscoffeebean
Summary: For Gwen, it was the for the sake of experimentation- something that she was always too scared to try before now. For Toshiko, it was for sheer curiosity and attraction that ultimately made her agree to Gwen's proposition. And form the help of alcohol, of course. Liquid courage, as they say.


Toshiko was surprised when Gwen cornered her at her desk, grinning happily and carrying a few roses, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Happy Birthday, Tosh!" she said as she pulled back, thrusting the roses in her direction. Tosh blinked, but accepted the roses, bringing them to her nose and sniffed softly, humming softly at the pleasant scent.

"Thank you, Gwen," She murmured, smiling up at her. Tosh had honestly had forgotten about her own birthday, have had been caught up in her own work. She had no reason to remember anyway. Just another year closer to her death. What's there to celebrate?

"So do you have any big plans tonight?" Gwen asked casually, rocking back and forth on her feet and clasping her hands behind her on her feet and knocking Tosh out of her thoughts. Toshiko frowned slightly in thought, eyebrows drawn together.

"No," she said slowly, "I didn't really plan anything. I thought I'd just go home and relax," she shrugged, glancing down at the gorgeous colored roses in her hands, the feeling of appreciation bubbling in her throat for Gwen that she had bought these for her, let alone remembered it was her birthday.

"Good, 'cause I was thinking that you and I could go to a club for your celebration," Gwen smiled proudly. Tosh's eyes widened as she mentioned the word club, lips parting slightly and wanting to protest.

"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea," she murmured, shifting slightly, becoming uncomfortable on her feet.

"C'mon, please? It'd be so much fun," she said excitedly, "When's the last time you went out celebrating?" she asked. Toshiko thought back, knowing that Gwen probably didn't mean to just a pub with the rest of the team

"…I wouldn't even have anything to wear," she mumbled. Gwen scoffed lightly

"Don't worry about that, love," she grinned, "I can let you borrow something of mine to wear," she offered. Tosh was hesitant but eventually she nodded.

"Fine," she sighed. Gwen squealed softly and hugged her again, careful not to crush the flowers between them both.

"Great! I'll drive you back to mine to change-" she picked at Tosh's slightly worn jumper, "-and I'll drive you to the club after." Tosh nodded and cradled the bouquet of flowers to her with a shy smile. The girls went their separate desks once the flowers were in a vase on her desk, Tosh anticipating what's to come later tonight.

Tosh fumbled nervously with the hem of her jumper as Gwen started the car and began to pull away from the Hub. "Trust me, there's nothing to be afraid of; where I'm taking you to a great place," she told her loftily, lifting one hand off the steering wheel and waving it slightly for emphasis. Tosh simply nodded and looked up at her, smiling slightly. "And-" she started, "you may even meet someone," she grinned, causing Tosh to blush softly at the thought.

"With you standing next to me, my chances are slim," she said before she could stop herself, feeling her face heat up. Thankfully, Gwen just laughed, not noticing Tosh's embarrassment.

"I'll just tell them I'm a taken woman and you can have all you want," she smirked. _Second choice isn't that bad_, she thought a bit bitterly, but instead she just nodded, looking ahead at the road again.

Gwen led her up to her flat once they had parked, leading her straight into her and Rhys's bedroom, waving at the man in the living room as they passed it. Toshiko noticed the slightly confused expression, probably to why Toshiko was with Gwen as they passed. Toshiko stood awkwardly in the middle of her bedroom, not very comfortable in someone else's room as Gwen started to go through her closet.

"Do you, uh, do this often?" Tosh called to the closet, slowly making her way to the closet door, leaning against the frame and watching Gwen bustle around in the room.

"Ah, no. Haven't gone out in a while," she shrugged, turning around to glace at the other woman in the doorway, "I use to, though," she shrugged, taking out a short black dress with lacing on the collar and silky ribbons tied to the front. She grinned and held the dress up to Tosh, but frowned as she got a look at it against Tosh. "I think I have something different for you," she hummed, setting the dress to the side. Gwen spent a few more moments looking for something else. She let out a happy huff when she pulled out a deep purple, nearly black, strapless corset dress. It went down to her mid-thigh, and was studded along the top of the breast and down the middle. There was a slightly translucent lacing on the waist, patterned with a black design. She felt her face heat up at the suggestive nature of the otherwise elegant dress, but smiling slightly.

"It's gorgeous, Gwen, but I don't know about this…" she mumbled, "I don't look good in things like this," she mumbled and Gwen frowned.

"Of course you would, Tosh. You'd look fantastic in this!" she said, smiling. "Will you try it on just to see if you like it?" She asked, "And if you don't, I'll find something else." Tosh sighed after some mulling and reluctant-ness and nodded, never able to say no to the sweet woman. Gwen smiled brightly and shoved the dress into her hands before brushing past her to leave the closet, giving her some privacy to change.

Toshiko slipped out of her jumper and jeans before unzipping the back of the dress. She kicked off her heels before pulling the dress up her legs and hips, holding it against her chest as she tried to zip the back with one hand. Once she got it up half way, she let go and held the two flaps in place before completely fastening them together. She looked down at herself before looking in the mirror, wondering why Gwen would actually wear such a thing. Her bra straps showed awkwardly under the dress on her shoulders, thinking that the bra will have to go if she were to wear this thing. Instead, she huffed and shoved the straps into the dress, not wanting to go out without a bra on. She placed her hands on her hips, really taking in what she looked like in the mirror. Gwen was right about that it accented her every curve perfectly, and the color suited her well.

With a sigh, she started to exit the closet, looking down bashfully when she emerged, smoothing down the skirt around her thighs. She looked up just at the right moment to see Gwen's eyes widen and her mouth start to gape, yet the corners of her mouth turned up in a pleasant smile. She met her eyes again and smiled. "I told you! Fits you perfectly," she said, walking around her quickly to get a good look at everything. "I'll go get dressed now," she said before disappearing into the closet again.

After a while, Gwen reemerged from the closet, wearing the dress she had initially picked for Tosh, smiling. Tosh smiled brightly at the sight, giving her a once over. She noticed the dark pantyhose that she wore under the dress, hugging her legs tightly. She had slipped into a pair of black stilettos, matching the rest of her outfit. "You like?" Gwen grinned, giving her a quick turn.

"Of course!" She smiled up at her. Gwen bent her knees in a mock curtsy, chuckling softly.

"Thank you," she said, adjusting the hose slightly and tugging down the dress a bit more before glancing back up, "ready to go?" she asked. Tosh nodded.

"Whenever you are," She said. Gwen nodded and led her out of the bedroom and quickly explaining to Rhys what they were doing before she was tugging Toshiko out of her flat, and hailing a cab

The cab pulled up outside a darkened building with the word Salvation in red neon lights, a couple walking into the club with their arms possessively wrapped around each other. Gwen stepped out of the cab, leading Toshiko out. Gwen smiled at her after she paid the fare. She led her to the door with a hand on her upper back, getting their hands stamped and walking inside. The loud music was already thumping through her skull once they were inside, causing her to wince slightly but quickly got use to the volume. The DJ was playing a song she didn't recognize. Gwen led her through the crowd of electric people- dancing, talking, trying to suck each other's faces off- and to a more open area so she could tug her towards the end of the bar, and ordering them something called a 'Black Magic'. Tosh wanted to be revolted by the dark colored drink, but saw that Gwen seemed to enjoy it enough to take a sip.

Gwen made a happy and content noise, sounding and looking completely relaxed as she sat the drink down with a soft 'clink', barely audible over the people and the music. Tosh smiled, bit startled when Gwen suddenly turned her head to look at her. Tosh brushed back some hair from her forehead.

"Having fun?" Gwen asked casually. Tosh shrugged and nodded.

"So far," she stared, "it's much better than I anticipated," she sighed, starting to nurse the pumpkin and coffee flavored drink, finding that she actually liked it.

"Glad you're having fun," she smiled, taking another sip of her drink, already half gone. She started to look around before nudging Tosh's arm gently after a few moments. "I think you're getting checked out," she said excitedly, grinning at her and nodding towards a woman not far from them with a few other people, but she was looking towards the two woman. She wore a fishnet shirt over a white tank and black jeans, her hair was short and bleached, grinning when Tosh looked her way. Tosh turned her head back and smiled shyly ducking her head. Gwen grinned and touched her shoulder as she turned away with her drink, walking away. Tosh nearly panicked when Gwen left her alone, not wanting to be alone in the place, but noticed the woman began to approach her after Gwen left.

"I was hoping she wasn't with you," the woman drawled, Welsh accent heavy as she leaned against the bar in front of Gwen. Tosh smiled slightly and looked up at her.

"No, actually, I'm not. She's my coworker, and wanted to take me out for my birthday," she shrugged, tapping her finger against the glass of her drink.

"It's your birthday?" She asked, eyes sparkling and the corner of her lips turning up in a smile, "Happy, birthday…"

"Toshiko," she filled in, smiling sheepishly, "and thank you for that. You can call me Tosh, by the way. Everyone does," she rambled.

"Auburn," she said, extending her hand for her to shake. Toshiko took her hand and shook gently, pulling back and feeling Auburn's finger's graze over her palm lightly.

"Lovely name," Tosh smiled, taking a sip, glancing over at Gwen who had settled into a booth, messing with her phone. She glanced up and caught Tosh's eye and smiled before looking back down. Tosh smiled back before she glanced back up at the taller woman and smiled a bit awkwardly.

"Thanks," Auburn smiled, "I'd offer to buy you a drink, but I see you already have one here," she smirked, "I suppose I could just give you my number instead," she hummed, reaching for Tosh's hand slowly and pulling a pen out of her pocket. Tosh blinked but didn't pull back, letting her write her number on her palm with a smile. Once she was done, she slid her hand up her arm, smirking as she felt the goose bumps erupt on Tosh's skin at the touch. She stopped when she reached her elbow, gripping there softly and leaning in closer, pressing her lips against her ear.

"Call me if you're interested," she murmured in her ear, warmth breath washing over the sensitive skin. Tosh let out an involuntary shudder and nodded numbly, blinking when she pulled back and winked. Auburn turned and walked back to the group of friends she was with, leaving Tosh stunned and blushing.

Tosh made her way with her drink over to where Gwen was sitting, sliding into the booth with Gwen, noticing the curious look Gwen was giving her. Her eyes flickered to the number printed on her hand and the look was gone, replaced with a grin. "Told you," Gwen chuckled, Tosh blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"I doubt that it could go anywhere," she murmured, looking down at the number scrawled on her hand, tracing it with her finger.

"It might," Gwen smiled softly and shrugged, "…are you going to call her?" Gwen asked softly, as if she was afraid she was intruding. Tosh shrugged, looking up at her.

"Do you think I should?" She asked, Gwen shrugged again.

"Whatever you want to do," she smiled, "It's your birthday." Tosh half smiled and nodded, taking a larger swig of her drink, and noticing that Gwen had finished hers already. "Tosh, can I ask you something?" she asked after a few moments of silence between the two women, "Well…more _about_ something," she mumbled. Tosh frowned slightly and nodded.

"Of course. What do you want to know about?" She asked, moving closer so she could hear her better. Gwen sat silently, gnawing on her bottom lip nervously before speaking.

"What's it like with another woman?" She blurted, blinking a few times and blushing softly, "I mean…sleeping with one," she muttered, looking down and playing with her glasss. Tosh blinked, taken slightly aback by the question.

"Well…" she murmured after a moment, "I'm sure it's not much different than with a man. You've never tried anything with another woman?" she asked, tilting her head, "never been curious. Until now, at least." Gwen shook her head.

"Of course I've…thought about what it'd be like. In uni, I'd kissed a few girls," she shrugged, "Mostly on dares and when I was drunk," She added, nodding. "So…is it as good as with a man?" she asked a bit awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Tosh blushed softly and looked down.

"Of course it was," she muttered, "it can be good with anyone," she said, "as long as you actually like the other person well enough," she said. "What brought this up?" Tosh asked her. Gwen laughed softly, nervously.

"I just saw you two up by the bar, and I couldn't help but wonder about it…" she said wistfully, "You're not offended by that, are you?" she asked, eyes wide. Tosh blinked and shook her head quickly.

"No, no, of course not," she smiled softly, "doesn't bother me," she murmured.

"It doesn't bother you that I was imagining you and her together? Thinking about how it'd feel," she murmured, tilting her head so her fringe casted a shadow over her eyes. Tosh's blush deepened but she shook her head after slight hesitation. "It-it wasn't really…intentional," she said, hoping Tosh would understand what she meant, "I couldn't help it," she mumbled awkwardly.

"Are you curious now?" Tosh asked softly, Gwen nodded softly, glancing up at Tosh.

"Do you think…do you think you can show me?" she asked softly, fiddling with the ribbon on her dress nervously. Tosh blinked at the proposition, head snapping up.

"But- It's not that you're not-…" she stuttered, taking a deep breath before speaking again, "ar-aren't you still with Rhys?" she asked, voice hushed as if the man himself was listening in on them. Gwen smiled slightly, looking amused.

"That's true, but we…we've worked out some stuff," she said, "we made deals about these kind of things already," she said, Toshiko frowned, tilting her head slightly and rubbing her forearm.

"But…it's- I don't think I'll be totally comfortable with that if you're still with Rhys…" she mumbled softly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I understand, Tosh," she smiled a bit sadly, "I'd still like to let you know that he'd be perfectly fine with it, as long as you're not some random stranger, which you're not," she smiled, reaching across to rest her hand on Toshiko's forearm. Tosh looked down at the hand on her arm and back up again, looking conflicted.

"Are you _sure_ that he'd be okay with it?" she asked, feeling her stomach tighten at what she just asked her friend, swallowing thickly. Gwen eyes lit up and she nodded.

"Of course," she breathed, moving to lace her fingers together with Tosh's and offered a supporting smile, "are _you_ okay with this?" she asked her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Tosh felt herself hesitate a moment before nodding.

"If you are," she smiled, squeezing back. Gwen smirked and moved closer to Tosh, sliding her hand from Tosh's to her bare shoulder, rubbing softly and kissing her cheek.

"Do you want to leave now?" she asked, warm breath puffing over her skin. Tosh downed the rest of her drink- an almost nervous gesture- before nodding. Gwen kissed her cheek once more, chastely before gently pushing her out of the booth and out of the club.

Tosh led her gingerly into her living room once they arrived, having decided to come back to Tosh's place once they hailed another cab. Gwen smiled and looked around briefly, having never been inside of her friend's house before now. When Gwen's eyes met Tosh's again as she finished her quick scope of the room, she approached her slowly with a soft smile, resting her hands on her upper arms lightly, thumbs trailing over the skin. Tosh shivered in delight at the feeling and absently leaned closer to the touch and warmth.

"Uh, Gwen?" Tosh started softly, looking up at her. Gwen blinked and nodded, urging her to go on. "Is the…deal you two have, does that apply to him as well? I-I mean, does he get to have anyone he'd like?" she asked frowning slightly in thought. Gwen nodded.

"As long as he asks me first, and I say it's alright," she said, "…It's actually what I was doing when you were talking with that blond," she mumbled sheepishly. Tosh blinked but nodded. She didn't think Gwen was planning this for that long, wondering now how long she had actually been wanting to ask this. Tosh hadn't noticed when Gwen had leaned forward, soft breaths puffing over her own lips. She gasped quietly and her head snapped back slightly in surprise. Gwen blinked but didn't pull away, waiting for Tosh to lean the rest of the way in, lips chastely pressing together for the first time. Tosh instantly pressed closer, trying to deepen the kiss and tilting her head to the side, feeling Gwen do the same. She felt a hand gently begin to stroke her cheek, gentle and sweetly, while Gwen's other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer. Gwen chuckled softly when she pulled back, kicking out of her shoes and setting them to the side before grinning at the shorter woman, reaching for her hand. Tosh smiled shyly back, slipping out of her shoes before taking her hand.

Tosh led the way back to her room, smiling when Gwen kissed her neck from behind, sliding her arms around her waist. Tosh leaned back against her, humming at the feeling and placing her hands over the ones that were on her stomach, thumb rubbing over her soft skin. She gasped softly when Gwen bit gently into the skin of her neck, walking her to the bed. Tosh turned around and crawled onto the bed, looking up at Gwen, the initial nervousness slowly fading away. Gwen quickly joined her on the bed, smiling and leaning over her, hands braced on either side of Tosh's shoulders. Tosh raised up, cupping her cheek as she pressed their lips together again.

Gwen grinned and gripped Tosh around the waist, flipping them over so Tosh was resting on top of her, hands running up and down her back in an almost hypnotic gesture, teasingly lingering over the zipper on her back. Tosh whimpered when Gwen scrapped her teeth over her jaw, wondering if she was really going to be her first woman from the way she knew just when to bite and where to touch. She leaned down to nuzzle her neck as Gwen finally unzipped the back of the dress. Tosh sat up so she was straddling Gwen, pushing the dress down around her waist, breathing heavier. Gwen gripped her waist gently, kneading the soft skin as Tosh tried to calm her breathing down.

Tosh lifted herself up and to the side to slide out of the rest of the dress, leaving her clad in her white, laced bra and panties. "Still sure you want to do this?" she asked Gwen, lying on her side next to her and tracing lines on her arm. Gwen nodded and turned to kiss her, placing her hand on her bare waist.

"Of course I do," she murmured against her lips, "why wouldn't I?" she smirked, leaning down to kiss her neck to her collar bone.

"You could have done better than me, thought," Tosh murmured, running her fingers through her hair. Gwen lifted her head, frowning up at Tosh.

"I didn't want to ask anyone else," she told her, crawling back up to kiss her again, cradling her head with her hands. "I don't really know anyone else I could have asked, anyway," she shrugged, stroking Tosh's hair gently. The comment made Toshiko feel like a last resort, but knew that Gwen meant well, and didn't mention it, but instead she leaned back up to kiss her again, stroking her shoulders. Soon, Gwen was slipping out of her own dress, pressing against her, humming and sliding one alabaster thigh between Tosh's, enjoying the sharp intake of breath Tosh took at the feeling of her leg against her. Gwen reached down to tease her clit through the already wet fabric of her panties, smirking that she was able to have this affect over the other woman so quickly. Toshiko arched up with a small gasp, fingernails leaving white trails on her back when she drug them down, fumbling for Gwen's bra hooks. Toshiko huffed in concentration before smiling once they were unclasped, slowly pulling it off of Gwen, watching the slight bounce in her breasts when she removed the cups and when she shifted above Toshiko, moving to straddle her.

Tosh could hardly believe they both were going to go through with this as she gently rested her hands on her waist, watching as she began to rub and tug at her own breasts, watching Toshiko watch her. She grinned down at her as she started to grind down against her with a soft gasp. Tosh tightened her hold on her waist, legs curling up at the feeling. Gwen smiled down at her, lowering herself so she could kiss her, letting go of herself so she could run her fingers through Tosh's silky hair, slowly rotating her hips down onto the other woman's.

This was something that they'd both wanted to do; for Gwen, it was the for the sake of experimentation- something that she was always too scared to try before now, worried that if she were to sleep with another woman, someone would have found out, called her out on it, made her feel like an outcast. Before Torchwood and Rhys, she would never would have. Torchwood encourages strange behavior just by the nature of the job, and Rhys is the supportive and open minded one, though no one would have ever guessed.

For Toshiko, it was for sheer curiosity and attraction that ultimately made her agree to Gwen's proposition. And form the help of alcohol, of course. Liquid courage, as they say. Mary had left her in love, but hurting and a new taste for the female race. Before then, she'd never look at a woman sexually before. Deep down she knew that this would never happen again with Gwen, and the feeling made her chest ache, knowing that she could have loved Gwen if she was given more time with her like this. She thought back to the smudged number on the palm of her hand briefly before she banished the thought for later, wanting to focus on the woman above her who was slipping out of her own panties, tossing them to the side with a grin.

The sight before her was gorgeous; Gwen's face flushed, her hair mussed from Toshiko's own hands as she settled back down on top of her, stripped completely. Gwen trailed kisses down her neck to her collarbone and to the valley between her breasts as he arms went around Tosh's back to unhook the bra, pulling it off her shoulders. She tossed the piece to the side as her mouth latched onto a dark nipple, humming. Tosh gasped and her hands flew to her hair, gripping gently as Gwen sucked lightly, reaching up to play with the other, gently tugging and rubbing until it was a hard nub. She lifted her head and gave the other the same treatment, feeling Tosh start to writhe under her, knowing she was doing well. Soon, her lips reached her flat stomach, leaving small kisses there and dipping her tongue into her navel. She soon had the other woman gasping and begging to be touched. She grinned and slipped her hand between her spread thighs, rubbing against the wet fabric before pulling them off and pushing them to the side, and slipping two fingers inside of her, something that she would do on herself. Toshiko whimpered at the feeling, her hips arching up towards her hand. Gwen watched her with amazement as she twisted her hand, pressing the heel of her hand to her clitoris.

It wasn't long before she managed to bring Toshiko to her finish, sucking on her inner thigh as she pumped her fingers in and out of her. Her body seized up and her breath hitched as she came, before falling back to the bed, seemingly boneless and relaxed. Gwen smiled as she crawled up to lie beside her, kissing her shoulder gently, giving her time to recover.

Tosh was soon crawling on top of the other woman once she caught her breath, soft lips sliding down her now slick with sweat chest and stomach, attaching her lips to her clit and pressed her fingers into her, giving her what she gave her.

Neither of them paid attention to how long they were together, nor when exactly they both fell asleep, exhausted on Tosh's bed, limbs intertwined. Tosh saw her off with a chaste kiss to her lips when she left early that morning, wanting to get home so she could get ready for today's work. Tosh watched her hail a cab, dressed in a robe. She opened her palm and looked down at her hand, smiling slightly at the still recognizable numbers scrawled carelessly on her palm.


End file.
